F1 2026 thread

Street circuit F1 Baby lol of note -
-It will have what F1 calls a “premium” paddock- that’s all that matters to Liberty!!


Madrid lands Spanish GP from 2026 as Barcelona fights for F1 future
The Formula 1 Spanish GP will move to Madrid in 2026 with a 10-year contract, leaving the rival Barcelona venue fighting to remain on the calendar.

 

Domenicali: Madrid F1 deal doesn't mean Barcelona track has no future
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says Barcelona may still have a future place on the calendar, despite the announcement that the Spanish Grand Prix will move to Madrid in 2026.

 

Not the most exciting looking 'track' from this photo. Maybe better on the ground level view.

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It has the luxury, 'premium' paddock lol. Book now! Who needs racing if the Paella is so good lol

 

Yes - one has to hope we have more passing than Barcelona or what is the point. Barcelona has had good support lately as well. Again this is just what Liberty see - Events in cities where one can travel, maybe attend and see 1/8th of the track and Instagram it all out as its sooooooo cool to be there. Racing the after - thought in this 'Formula'.

 

Interesting read on the background/design of our newest Instagram City Experience GP lol

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/how-twin-tunnels-and-banked-corner-will-make-madrid-f1-track-distinctive/10568420/

How twin tunnels and banked corners will make Madrid F1 track distinctive
Twin tunnels and a banked corner are set to make the new Madrid circuit at the IFEMA convention centre a distinctive addition to the Formula 1 calendar from 2026 onwards.
Author Adam Cooper

Updated Jan 23, 2024, 4:04 PM


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The track will be a mixture of street circuit roads through the exhibition building area and a smaller section of permanent track that will be built on adjacent land that has yet to be developed.

The two parts are split by an elevated highway and will be connected by a pair of tunnels that pass underneath it.

F1 compares the hybrid nature of the new venue to Miami, which also features a combination of existing roads and purpose-built sections.

One of the key players behind the layout is F1’s head of vehicle performance Craig Wilson, who has played a role in track design since the start of the Liberty Media era, having been hired by Ross Brawn in 2017.

The former Mercedes and Williams engineer uses simulations and data as part of an ongoing effort to create tracks where good racing is possible.

“From the very first suggestion to where we’ve ended up, there’s been about 24 track models,” Wilson told the F1 website.

“But then there’s been numerous sub-model investigations and different details as well. We’ve now got a concept that we’re happy to proceed development with, and we’re very excited to see it take shape.”

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Photo by: Formula 1

The new Madrid Formula One track layout

Expanding on the nature of the Madrid venue: “It’s in between what you’d consider a normal street track layout and more towards a permanent circuit style layout.

“A lot of the places will have a temporary circuit-type installation, but then there are other sections which may look or feel a bit different depending on the final implementation decisions to suit the IFEMA site.”

Wilson stressed that there’s still a lot of work to do before a detailed design is signed off.

“The next steps are that it now needs to go from concept into detailed design development,” he said.

“And importantly through the FIA submission and homologation process, and all the safety assessments, to achieve a Grade 1 track licence.

“As you start construction, it needs to go through all the inspections, while we have to work with the developers on all the planning, infrastructure, how the garages are going to be arranged, how the paddock layout specifics are going to be and all of our systems integration, so it’s the start of the journey.”

Intriguingly Wilson says that there is “scope” for the looping Turn 10 righthander to be banked in a similar way to Zandvoort’s final turn. The hope is to create an overtaking opportunity.


He noted that discussions are continuing regarding “how banked we make it, what kind of banking and what kind of profile we go for, with a mind to how can we turn Turn 11 and Turn 12 into a potential overtaking action area.”

Wilson highlighted two other areas of the track as potentially becoming landmarks.

The section of existing roads from Turns 7 to 9 initially rises after the first tunnel before going “quite steeply downhill.”

The sequence through Turns 13 to 17 that runs through the second tunnel and back into the main exhibition area is taken at high speed, with Wilson noting it as “ambitious.”

Summing up the design he added: “I think it will be a good challenge for the drivers.”

 

Modus Liberty - someone else's funding on the cheap in or near a city and no paying Tilke or any other circuit designer lol. Im no longer devoting major brain cells or much funding to F1. Its just a show for the NETFLIX trained, small attention span- glued to a phone set. We still have some 'iconic' races left. I will attempt to keep an open mind with Madrid, but the overall direction of the sport is less F1 and more some kind of show for some others they think might be fans???

 

Interesting assessment of F1 and road car 'relevance'.........

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/why-the-2026-rules-expose-the-perils-of-f1s-road-car-quest/10568462/

Why the 2026 rules expose the perils of F1’s road car quest
OPINION: Formula 1's next generation engine rules for 2026 have lured in new manufacturers and led to a need for active aero. But the world championship taking a pioneering role in this dimension unintentionally suggests that its desire to maintain road relevance may not be without its perils

To justify and secure an existence amid the climate crisis, the professional motorsport world is bearing down on two goals. First, carbon neutrality to show everyone that at least these series don’t come at a cost. Second, reasserting racing as a live technical testbed for innovations that can soon enough trickle down into the wider road car industry to bring about a greater good.

Formula 1 – working to be net carbon zero by 2030 – has done well to repeatedly achieve the latter over the decades. See driver aids, semi-automatic gearboxes, carbon fibre construction and so on. Although these innovations didn’t necessarily all debut in the top flight, it’s where they cemented their pioneering, needle-moving reputation.

It appears active aerodynamics will be next on that list. While DRS has featured in the championship since 2011, the front wing is now also expected to morph into a movable device as part of the regulatory overhaul for 2026.

Of course, automotive manufacturers have already dabbled in this area. The Porsche 959 and Volkswagen Corrado of the late-1980s were early adopters; high-performance road cars increasingly make use of it and, in the name of efficiency, some models now incorporate plates that automatically cover up brake ducts and intakes to help minimise drag. But, in the main, active aerodynamics might still be viewed as being in their infancy. F1 can shortly begin developing them in double-quick time.

Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey explains: “F1, typically, has been good a way to popularise things on road cars. If you look way back, things like disc brakes, slightly more recently carbon fibre sportscars, fake or real carbon fibre trim etc. All those things that a buyer in the high street wants an association with, and manufacturers provide that association. Active aero has to be the future of road cars [to boost efficiency], so I think it’s appropriate that Formula 1 should be displaying the power of it.”

This time around, though, it’s more an unhappy accident that F1 will be at the forefront of proliferating another potentially game-changing technology. The reason the 2026 rules will adopt more active aerodynamics is because of fears over the limited powertrain. They are, at best, a sticking-plaster solution.

The next-generation engine regulations, which were devised with little attention being paid to the chassis concept, will ditch the expensive Motor Generator Unit-Heat. Despite getting shot of this major element, the electrified part of the hybrid engine must now cough up 50% of the total power.

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Audi has been enticed to join F1 in 2026 by new engine rules that have resulted in a need for active aero to reduce drag

Given those heightened demands, teams initially simulated sudden speed losses in a straight line. Some reckoned drivers were having to downshift. While F1 and the FIA said this car data model was outdated, that hasn’t stopped drag-slashing active aero from entering the picture to help compensate.

Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache frames the issue: “You cannot put patch on patch on patch to achieve something. You have to look at the problem with a bigger view and say, ‘How do I sort this out and how do I solve my problem? What car characteristic do I need to achieve something?’ If you need a patch to solve some things you can still do that afterwards, but you don’t start with a patch first. Otherwise, it never works…

“They didn’t think through the full concept [of these new regulations] at the same time. So first, they defined the engine regulations and now we have to cope with that on the chassis side to compensate for the issue we have.”

The consequences of incorporating active aerodynamics are laudable: preserving the straightline performance of F1 machinery, eventually improving the environmental credentials of road cars. But the origins are wrong.

Board rooms have forgotten that the customer isn’t always right. The outcome is the roads are littered with the rolling contradiction that is electric crossovers

Rather than this being another example of F1 showing the automotive industry the road ahead, the championship rolled over for it. Moveable devices are a quick fix for an engine framework that calls for more electric power – but this shift was only the result of bowing to the demands of potential competitors Audi and Porsche. One of those never ultimately signed up.

And the problem with F1 taking its lead from the road car industry right now is that the latter is facing an identity crisis of its own. Engineers have far too little sway. Instead, manufacturers are being compelled by governments to fall in line with rapidly approaching, hastily devised legislation that is dictating the move away from internal combustion.

As well, us consumers have far too much influence as we subscribe to the belief that bigger, and more, is always better. To convert that into cash, board rooms have forgotten that the customer isn’t always right. The outcome is the roads are littered with the rolling contradiction that is electric crossovers.

F1 must always keep one eye on the road car market. It’s vitally important that the series remains at least somewhat relevant to the wider world to validate its very existence. The problem comes when F1 thinks it’s at the mercy of the automotive industry. Especially one that’s as confused as it is now.